Civil Rights - FP1 - Economic and Social Reconstruction

Question 1

Economic Reconstruction: Why necessary?

Answer 1

White planters attempt to re establish cheap labour through black codes - AA were left without a choice as they had no land, money or skills
Urban movement within south AA pop double in largest southern cities throughout reconstruction

Question 2

Economic Reconstruction: Attempts at Land Distrubution

Answer 2

40 acres and a mule Jan 1865 Sherman distributes 400000 acres to 40,000 - Aug 1865 Johnson ordered its return to pardoned southerners
Southern Homestead Act 1866 - 46m acres for sale - most was unsuitable for farms and few AA had resources necessary - Law repealed June 1876 - BUT in FL 160,090 secured, 350,000 Georgia
White employers = control, punishments for anyone not working under a white employer
Black southerners only gained 1.3% of Southern wealth

Question 3

Economic Reconstruction: Sharecropping, tenant farming and crop lien

Answer 3

Sharecropping - landowners give land and tools in return for part of rops - some freedom over day to day work - and self sufficency
Tenant farmning - renting of land only - but supplies bought on credit, at inflated prices, and debts gradually accumulated - same with crop lien
Monthly wages around 10 dollars, bar of soap from staores on plantations 50 cents - inflated - interests often 50%

Question 4

Economic Reconstruction: Work in Cities and the end of Cotton

Answer 4

Cotton prices plummeted 1869 16.5 cents/lb, 1870 8 cents/lb
Oversupply drove down prices - state banks addled with debts, and took out anger at AA who were economically weak, and defenseless
White workers in cities terrorized AA’s as they felt they were stealing their jobs - and black labour was used to undermine strikes ie in 1867 with black ship caulkers
Dec 1869 Black Labour Union set up to compensate for AA not allowed in white unions.

Question 5

Economic Reconstruction: Debt Peonage

Answer 5

System where an employer compels a worker to pay off a debt with work - workers become indebted through sharecropping, credit to merchants or living expenses to stores - abusive, inescapable situations

Question 6

Economic Reconstruction: Freedmen’s Bank

Answer 6

Between Apr 1865- June 74 - reached $3.3m in deposits
Attracted societies, churches, charities and businesses that opened accounts - speculative investment brought the bank into debt and it was closed after the 1873 financial downturn
Panic when it closed as AA lost savings

Question 7

Social Reconstruction: Freedman’s Bureau

Answer 7

Established 1865
Sumpplementary Act July 1866 extended existence to 1870
Supplied furniture, healthcare, labour contracts, and some land
By 1869 Issued 21m rations, established 46 hospitals, spend $2m on healthcare, treated 450,000 cases of illness, provided free transport, and after 1866 had the power to enforce decisions in military courts until Ex parte Milligan

Question 8

Social Reconstruction: Education

Answer 8

80% of AA > 20 illiterate 1870 - 1890 64% slow improvement
1877 - 600,000 AA in elementary schools
Set up unis - Atlanta, Fisk, Hampton Institute 1868, Howard 1867
1869 9503 teachers in schools for ex slaves in South
By 1870 250,000 pupils in 4300 schools, and $5m spent
Pensions paid to AA veterans until end of FB
Jan 1871 New Orleans AA children into 21 desgregated schools

Question 9

Social Reconstruction: Churches

Answer 9

Colour Methodist Episcopal church - grew rapidly post war
Chance at leadership and places for societies
Helped to extablish free public schools for Blacks
Teachers like ministers of church key figures and 1865-77, 70 entered politics - leadership opportunities

Question 10

Social Reconstruction: Quality of life?

Answer 10

Housing quality = primitive
federal support stoped 1872 when Bureau shut
For many, no escape from poverty and few civil rights